The key to Royal Birkdale
With the the wind even stronger there could be one part of the game that makes all the difference at this years Open
Camilo Villegas has experienced two very different rounds at his first Open Championship. The 26-year-old Colombian s 76 on Thursday included 34 putts compared to yesterday's fantastic 66 which included only 23.
A number of factors suggest it could be putting that decides this year s Open Championship. With the course playing so difficult, and some of the windiest conditions many of these players will have ever played in, it is inevitable that they are going to miss greens. This puts extra pressure on those six to ten foot putts that everyone is going to face. Adam Scott and Sergio Garcia have both missed a number of putts from close range and despite some impressive ball striking find themselves four and five shots off the lead respectively. Lee Westwood is another that missed a number of short putts early on and has failed to recover.
The greens at Royal Birkdale are not renowned to be the most undulating on the Open rota but there are very few putts being holed. With the wind even stronger this morning it will be a day of patience and anyone who holds his nerve on the greens should be in contention on Sunday.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
-
Angela Stanford’s Pursuit Of 100 Consecutive Majors Could End Painfully Short After Two Huge Blows
The 46-year-old had been hoping to make a 99th successive Major appearance at the US Women's Open, but a double blow means her options are slimmer than ever
By Mike Hall Published
-
‘A Real Honour’ – Sky Sports Presenter Joins England Golf As Independent Director
Sky Sports Golf presenter Sarah Stirk hopes to use her knowledge and experience to make the sport more open and accessible
By Andrew Wright Published